A US antiques dealer from Massachusetts has been charged for illegally importing and trafficking teeth from endangered sperm whales.
David L. Place, the owner of Manor House Antiques Cooperative in Nantucket, faces multiple charges of conspiracy and Lacey Act violations for buying and unlawfully importing sperm whale teeth into the United States between 2001 and 2004.
The buying and selling of sperm whale teeth is a direct violation of federal law, which classifies the whales as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act, thus forbidding the commercial trade of listed species.